Fox News reported that the intelligence community has been warning the Obama Administration about the growing threat from Sunni militants since January. The Administration was aware of The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’s (ISIS) uprising in Iraq. This directly contradicts Secretary of State John Kerry’s claim that nobody expected the routing of Iraqi security forces by Sunni lead ISIS. ISIS was assisted by Iraqi Sunnis, embittered by the loss of power to the Shia majority. It’s very likely this cooperation has allowed the insurgents access to the weapons of mass destruction that the American press claimed to have never existed.

Origin

Approximately five months ago, a Kurdish intelligence “asset” informed the Kurdish people that a renegade offshoot of al-Qaeda was working with former Baathists (Sunnis) of the Saddam Hussein regime to launch a major uprising within northern Sunni territories. ISIS was forming alliances with fellow Iraqis to easily capture northern cities. Kurdish intelligence senior lieutenant Rooz Bahjat told The Telegraph they had passed information about ISIS’s grand plan to capture Baghdad to the CIA and MI6.

The Kurds knew the ISIS plan and alerted the west. But frustrated with the lack of resolve on the part of western powers, Bahjat opined “We knew exactly what strategy they were going to use; we knew the military planners. It fell on deaf ears.”

Lahur Talabani, head of Kurdish intelligence bluntly stated “I have completely lost hope in America after listening to President Barack Obama.” He specifically blames Obama for the current situation in Syria and Iraq. He is more aware of Obama’s ineptness than Republicans.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

The leader of ISIS is a brutally effective thug and dictator, the sort that Osama bin Laden could only have dreamed of being. He rose through the ranks to become the senior leader of ISIS. He is the emir of the al-Qaeda offshoot and has the last word on all decisions. ISIS is funded by criminal operations of robbery, extortion, and smuggling, with a small percentage coming from donations from Sunni countries. Al Qaeda leadership has to be jealous of al-Baghdadi, as in field operation he is far more effective than they are. Unless he is stopped soon, this man will be a greater threat to the United States than bin Laden.

Photo credit: cmccain202dc (Flickr)

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Fox News’ James Rosen reported that while Bowe Bergdahl was in captivity, he converted to Islam and declared himself a mujahid. “Mujahid” means one who struggles for the sake of Allah. Not surprisingly, in recent years, it was closely associated with Islamic extremists. Fox News obtained Secret Situation reports, or SITREPS, that detail Bergdahl’s life in the hands of Haqqani captors. His life over the last five years, according to the SITREPS, consisted of a progression from mistreatment to acceptance to eventually trusting Bergdahl with a loaded AK-47.

In 2010, Bergdahl attempted to escape and disappeared for 5 days before being recaptured. He was confined in a custom–built cage. In time, he gained the trust of the Haqqani; and his treatment improved. Analysts have concluded that the change and allegiance to his captors would indicate that he may have capitulated to Stockholm syndrome in order to survive. SITREPS doesn’t mention whether Bergdahl actively collaborated with the Haqqani or the Taliban while being held, but it doesn’t excuse him from deserting his post and further endangering American soldiers by deliberately placing them in harm’s way.

Negotiation for Bergdahl began a few months after he left his post and was captured. SITREPs indicate that Warlord Sirajuddin Haqqani first proposed a prisoner swap with the Americans through Pakistani political contacts. The reports mention failed July 2010 negotiations between the Haqqani and the State Department, at the end of which Bergdahl was relocated. It’s likely that negotiations for a prisoner swap occurred off and on until his release. The Haqqani had a valuable asset and knew that the United States would eventually cower to their demands.

Unintended Consequences

The prisoner exchange has encouraged the Taliban and the Haqqani to kidnap more U.S. service members and Americans in general now that the Obama administration is willing to negotiate with them. An unnamed Taliban commander said to Time Magazine: “It’s better to kidnap one person like Bergdahl than kidnapping hundreds of useless people.” Now everybody will work hard to capture such an important bird. Not only will terrorists get their Taliban brothers back, but a deal with politically motivated crooks like Barack Obama might also be profitable as well.

It’s quite likely that Bergdahl’s life was never in danger because he was too valuable to the Haqqani to lose or harm. Obama needed a distraction from myriad White House scandals, and he got one.

Marco Rubio told Time Magazine that “[Obama] set a precedent that will encourage enemies of the United States to target American men and women in uniform and capture them in order to carry out a similar exchange in the future.” History may record this time as the era of Obama’s Unintended Consequences.

The Real Losers

The people of Afghanistan who survived the reign of terror under Taliban rule are frightened that some of the monsters of their past are now free. They are now fearful of revenge courtesy of Mullah Obama.

The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by WesternJournalism.com.

After approximately five years of captivity, Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the only American held prisoner by the Taliban, was released to the United States military in Afghanistan. The Taliban (Haqqani) agreed to return Bergdahl in exchange for five Afghan terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay. The agreement was negotiated in and mediated by Qatar. Obama ignored the nation’s longtime policy of not negotiating with terrorists in order to obtain Bergdahl’s release. In the deal, Qatar will take custody of the freed Taliban prisoners.

Feeling confident that he knocked other scandals out of the headlines, Obama took his victory lap by pronouncing that the return of Bergdahl “is a reminder of America’s unwavering commitment to leave no man or woman in uniform behind on the battlefield.” Excluding Mexico, that is. Of course, those left behind in Benghazi were NOT in uniform.

In the words of the late Paul Harvey, “and now for the rest of the story”

Soon after the media reported Bergdahl’s release, questions arose about the circumstances of his disappearance and eventual capture by the Taliban. Before he went missing, Bergdahl sent an email to his parents in which he complained about his disillusionment with the Afghan war and penned his now infamous “I am ashamed to even be an American” declaration.

Upon walking away from his unit in the dead of night, SGT Bergdahl left his gear, weapon, and a note renouncing his American citizenship. The Pentagon would later conclude that Bergdahl was not captured, but had indeedabandoned his unit. Fellow soldiers from his platoon are now telling the world that Bergdahl is NOT a hero, but a “deserter whose selfish actions costs the lives of six fellow soldiers searching for him.” This is in sharp contrast with the official White House narrative on the Sunday Talk shows in which known liar Susan Rice stated that Bergdahl had served “with honor and distinction and was captured on the battlefield.”

Soldiers who abandon their units in a war zone are subject to prosecution in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. They can be charged with desertion or the lesser charge of being absent without leave (AWOL).

People Died

The search for Bergdahl resulted in the death of at least six men as a result of ambushes, firefights, and improvised explosive devices. When the Pentagon finally determined that he had deserted his post, it was decided that forces would forgo any additional efforts to rescue Bergdahl. We would no longer risk good men to “rescue” someone who had abandoned his platoon. The seriousness of Bergdahl’s actions cannot be overstated if it is proven that they had caused the death to his fellow soldiers.

In the custody of the Taliban (Haqqani)

Fox News’ James Rosen spoke to an unnamed senior government official who stated that the U.S. intelligence community has a sizable file on Army SGT. Bowe Bergdahl while he lived among the Taliban. The official told Rosen that “many within the intelligence community harbor serious, outstanding concerns not only that Bergdahl may have been a deserter but that he may have been an active collaborator with the enemy.” If the intelligence community knew of SGT Bergdahl providing aid to the Taliban, Barack Obama had to have been briefed sometime during the last 5 years. And if Bergdahl was NOT guilty of desertion and collaboration with the Taliban, why did military brass demand soldiers in his unit sign nondisclosure agreements? From experience, this may have been for investigative purposes. But it was far more likely a measure to avoid embarrassment of Mr. Obama.

The Washington Times’ Bill Gertz revealed last week in his “Inside the Ring” column that Barack Obama issued a directive, in 2010, to the Department of Defense allowing the use of the United States Military against American Citizens. In a recent speech, Obama assured the audience that the nation should seek to avoid military misadventures abroad. A conspiracy theorist would see this as evidence that the Democratic Administration is planning to use the military against the American public instead. Anyone familiar with government documents is well aware of the devil being in the details, and that it is often a matter of interpretation.

Directive No. 3025.18, December 29, 2010

The purpose of the directive is to “Provide guidance for the execution and oversight of Defense Support of Civil Authorities when requested by civil authorities or by qualifying entities and approved by the appropriate DoD official, or as directed by the President.” The directive outlines provisions for military support of emergency services for fire, natural disasters, security for special events, domestic use of the Army Corps of Engineers, and DoD support to civilian law enforcement agencies. Military forces employed in such activities will remain under military command and control.

“All requests from civil authorities and qualifying entities for assistance shall be evaluated for: legality, lethality, risk, cost, appropriateness and cannot interfere with military readiness.” Unless the situation requires immediate action, the non-military entity will be at the mercy of bureaucrats.

Troubling sections

Federal military commanders are provided EMERGENCY AUTHORITY under this Directive. “Federal military forces shall not be used to quell civil disturbances unless specifically authorized by the President in accordance with applicable law (e.g., chapter 15 of Reference (d)) or permitted under emergency authority, as described below (see DoDD 3025.12 (Reference (j)) and DoDD 5525.5 (Reference (c))).”

“In these circumstances, those Federal military commanders have the authority, in extraordinary emergency circumstances where prior authorization by the President is impossible and duly constituted local authorities are unable to control the situation, to engage temporarily in activities that are necessary to quell large-scale, unexpected civil disturbances.”

Military assistance under such situations can include supplying civilian and government agents with weapons and ammunition and other military equipment that may be used against Americans. Drones, if used, shall be unarmed, the only time the Drone King cares about collateral damage or bad optics.

Bill Gertz paraphrases unnamed defense analysts saying “there has been a buildup of military units within non-security-related federal agencies, notably the creation of Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams. The buildup has raised questions about whether the Obama administration is undermining civil liberties under the guise of counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics efforts.”

Not wavering from his foreign policy mission of aiding the Muslim Brotherhood to restore an Islamic Caliphate under their control, Mr. Obama has ordered the training and arming of Syrian jihadists to overthrow Assad. Current reports indicate that the forces loyal to Assad are gaining ground against the Muslim Brotherhood–supported rebels.

The Muslims in the White House are also providing clandestine support to the Syrians rebels. Feeling emboldened by the Arab spring uprisings in Libya and Egypt, for the last three years, the Administration has attempted to use American and NATO aircraft to create a no fly zone to protect the Syrian rebels and their al Qaeda allies (Al-Nusra and ISIS). The plan was soundly rejected by the American and international communities, but that didn’t deter Obama.

In fact, unable to leave Syria alone, Obama ordered the CIA (and most likely U.S. military advisers) to train and supply the Christian-murdering rebels in an attempt to remove Syrian President Assad. Of course, the CIA cannot act alone. It requires a Presidential order from either Mr. Obama or the real power, Valerie Jarrett, to carry out such a mission. According to a PBS FRONTLINE documentary, the rebels are being supplied from Turkish bases and trained in Qatar in a facility near the Saudi Arabian border.

The terrorists-in-waiting would receive three weeks of lessons in setting up ambushes, raids, and proper weapons drills. The rebels were trained to kill off enemy survivors and gather intelligence. Upon graduation, they would receive new uniforms and boots (but no picture of their benefactor, mullah Obama, or a Geneva Convention card.) Anyone supported by the Muslim brotherhood and their military arm, al Qaeda, are terrorists; and Syrian rebels are no different. Any support for one side or the other in Syria is akin to being between Scylla and Charybdis.

The American population does not support any plan that would squander troops in another senseless war in a country that does not present a danger to the U.S. When the Obama regime proposed bombing the Assad forces after a supposed chemical attack (without knowing who used the weapons), the American people and the international community rejected the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s warmongering proposal. Thanks to PBS, Obama will learn that America supplied arms to the rebels against the wishes of Congress that the U.S. provide non-lethal aid only; that is, food, clothing, and medical supplies.

The revelations from the Syrian rebels prove that, once again, American has been lied to by the Community Organizer in Chief.

The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by WesternJournalism.com.